This invention relates to a barrier providing a method of, and apparatus for, regulating flow from a first location through an aperture to a second location.
For sites involving the passage of large number of people (such as an airport, supermarket or sports arena) there frequently occurs a need to cause a flow of people to pass in an orderly manner in a particular direction from a first to a second location There may also arise a need for a flow occurring in one direction for a given period to be reversed in direction for a subsequent period. There exist a number of ways of providing for directed flows. For example one or more moving walkways can be provided. Where a change in level exists between a first and a second location a number of escalators can be used with one or more passing from the first to the second location and one or more passing in the opposite direction. Where the direction of main flow needs to be changed the proportion of walkways or escalators to accommodate the changed flow can be increased.
When the scale of operations is reduced to allowing the passage of people from one location to another by way of a door current systems present flow restrictions. Typically in a stadium to allow people to exit, but not enter (or vice versa) barriers are used in the form of a turnstile, where a rotating element creates a moving space that a human can enter. As the rotating element moves, the human transfers from one side of the turnstile to the other. Barriers serve to limit movement in the other direction. Rotating doors are used in public buildings such as shops and airports. These allow people to move in either direction (into, or out of, the building). They also serve to reduce draughts and so reduce the heating or air conditioning costs. One disadvantage of rotating doors is that the throughput of people, for a given door width, can be quite low since something less than half the door aperture can be used for the progression of users in each direction. Turnstiles are even more limited in throughput of people, as one half of the rotating turnstile is xe2x80x98dead spacexe2x80x99.
European Patent Application 0 921 262 A1 (Nisshin Steel) discloses a closure member comprising a flexible sheet curved wavily so as to wave in the horizontal direction and a drive which causes the flexible sheet to wave forward. A closure structure comprises this closure member and is further provided with a wall member on each side of the flexible sheet in the hill-to-valley direction in its side view, which may further be provided with a moving floor beneath the flexible sheet
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for regulating a flow of individual people or other animals through an aperture on a path from a first to a second location on the path wherein a movable closure member is located in the path and caused to generate along the path an entry region, a traversing region, and an exit region characterised by the steps of:
locating in the aperture a closure member defined by a sequence of discrete vertical elements;
providing for the displacement of at least some of the elements transverse the path so as to cause the barrier to reproduce a wave like motion in a direction along the path so as to cause the barrier to generate along the path:
the entry region which is open towards the first location but isolated from the second location;
the traversing region generated from the entry region by progressive movement of the barrier, and
the exit region generated from the traversing region by further progressive movement of the barrier, the exit region being open towards the second location but isolated from the first location; and
regulating the displacement of the elements so that adjacent elements in the barrier subject to regulated displacement cause the barrier to conform to one of a number of available pre-determined reproducible wave like pattern.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a flow control means for location within an aperture to regulate a flow of individual people or other animals through the aperture on a path from a first location on one side of the flow control means to a second location on the other side of the flow control means to the one side characterised by:
a barrier defined by a sequence of vertical elements;
means for driving the sequence of elements so that the barrier serves to generate one of a number of predetermined reproduced wave like forms between the first and second location such that the barrier serves to create in sequence:
an entry region for occupation by at least one individual which entry region is initially open towards the first location but isolated from the second location;
a traversing region on the path generated from the entry region by progressive movement of the barrier, and
an exit region open towards the second location but isolated by means of the barrier from the first location.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a flow control means for location within an aperture to regulate a flow or individual people or other animals on a flow path extending from a first location on one side of the flow control means to a second location on the other side of the flow control means characterised by:
a series of tracks extending transverse the flow path for location at or near an upper or lower boundary defined by the flow control means;
an individual support means extending into each track in the series thereof; each support means being associated with, and serving to support, an element of the barrier;
means for reciprocating an individual support along its track so as to cause support elements in the barrier to conform to one of a number of available predetermined patterns of reproduced wave like pattern such that during displacement the barrier serves to create in sequence:
an entry region for occupation by at least one individual which entry region is initially open towards the first location but isolated from the second location;
a traversing region on the path generated from the entry region by progressive movement of the barrier, and
an exit region open towards the second location but isolated by means of the barrier from the first location.
According to a preferred version of the second or third aspects the flow control means is adapted for use as a mobile structure.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a compound flow control means comprising two or more flow control means according to the second or third aspects.
According to yet another preferred version of the fourth aspect of the present invention the two or more flow control means are located side by side each in its own separate aperture and coupled for control as a unit. Typically the paths of each flow means are substantially parallel to one another.
According to a next preferred version of the present invention there is provided a structure equipped with a flow means according to the second, third or fourth aspects or any preferred versions thereof.
According to a sixth preferred version of the second or third aspects of the present invention there is provided a structure equipped with a flow control means according to the second or third aspects or the first preferred version thereof or a compound flow means according to the fourth or fifth aspects.
The term xe2x80x98barrierxe2x80x99 is herein used to describe an active flow controlling device having a more or less continuous mode of operation independently of the number of people or objects being allowed to flow. Other possible descriptive terms for flow control devices located in an aperture are xe2x80x98curtainxe2x80x99 or xe2x80x98doorxe2x80x99 but these are inherently passive devices involving dependent on actual use by a user or object.
The present invention shows a novel way of implementing a one way barrier that allows use of the maximum aperture space available, and has a more pleasing, and less intimidating appearance than a turnstile. Two of the proposed barriers, side by side, (in effect on flow being in parallel) would allow shops to present a novel and interesting entrance to shoppers, with the added advantage that the barriers can both be set to xe2x80x9cout onlyxe2x80x9d when it is time to vacate the building or an emergency arises requiring the building to be cleared. The proposed barrier will find applications in airports where passenger management is required for exit from and entry to restricted areas, and diode-like devices such as turnstiles are unacceptable.
A flow control means of the present invention can be incorporated into a mobile assembly enabling it to be used temporarily in a building doorway or to enable access to a sports ground or a temporary arena. Such an assembly would require the provision of electricity, such as from a mobile generator either built into the assembly or connected to the assembly by power cables.
The concept of a travelling transverse wave is well known. In the case of a surface wave at a liquid/air interface (for example the surface of the sea), a wave appears to propagate along the surface, whereas the motion of the molecules of water at the surface is predominately transverse to the direction of motion. Another example of a transverse wave is that propagated in a skipping rope when the end is flicked.
In one version of the present invention, a barrier for an aperture comprises a multiplicity of rods hung from one end from a ceiling of the aperture. Each rod is caused to move in concert with the remainder along an individual track in the ceiling each track being at right angle to the direction in which people move through the aperture. The rods are moved relative to one another so that a travelling wave is set up, enabling people to freely move in one direction from one side of the aperture to the other, but not in the reverse direction.
The barrier may be driven in a first direction, be stopped, or be driven in the opposite direction to the first. In this way the barrier is readily controlled to provide for people to pass either in a first direction through the aperture, or to pass in the opposite direction to the first through the aperture, or to prevent the passage of people through the aperture. Additional controls are readily provided to ensure that all the rods may be moved to one side to provide a completely open aperture when required.
The barrier provides for interior ventilation to be maintained by means of its pumping action cause the transfer of air from the upstream side of the aperture to the downstream side. Thus the barrier can serves as a low power, low noise fluid displacement system. In this context it can serve to provide for cutting down air flow through an aperture which could be particularly significant for control of air flow into, or egress of smoke out of, the aperture in the event of a fire within a building to which the aperture provides access.
The barrier is particularly discussed hereafter in terms of a system for controlling the flow of people through an aperture in an atmosphere of air. However it would be applicable for other fluids and for mobile objects other than people. Typically it could be used to control movement on fish in a storage tank.
The motion of the barrier can be in the form of sinusoidal wave, although other wave shapes may be used. A triangular waveform is advantageous in one particular respect as when generated by means of a barrier comprising a sequence of rods each bearing a non-elastic panel which are hinged to one another. Such a barrier can be used to seal the aperture in which it is located, as the distance between the rods remains constant with a triangular wave. This is not the case with the sinusoidal wave.
The wave form can be selected depending on the objects to be allowed to flow through. Thus where the object is of a width approaching that of the width of the aperture, say for a motor vehicle when the aperture provides access to a car park, then the selected wave form can be of squarer or rectangular shape. It is also envisaged that the control system for the flow control means can vary the wave form in dependence on the size or shape of the object to be allowed to pass through the aperture.